title: Ethnicity as a predictor of detention under the Mental Health Act.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There has been major concern about the 'over-representation' of Black and ethnic minority groups amongst people detained under the Mental Health Act (MHA). We explored the effect of patient ethnicity on detention following an MHA assessment, once confounding variables were controlled for.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective data were collected for all MHA assessments over 4-month periods in the years 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 each in three regions in England: Birmingham, West London and Oxfordshire. Logistic regression modelling was conducted to predict the outcome of MHA assessments - either resulting in 'detention' or 'no detention'.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 4423 MHA assessments, 2841 (66%) resulted in a detention. A diagnosis of psychosis, the presence of risk, female gender, level of social support and London as the site of assessment predicted detention under the MHA. Ethnicity was not an independent predictor of detention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is no evidence for that amongst those assessed under the MHA, ethnicity has an independent effect on the odds of being detained.
authors.affiliation: Mental Health and Wellbeing, Warwick Medical School, Coventry, UK.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Claybrook Centre, London, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tyrer
authors.affiliation: Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.affiliation: Division of Health Sciences, Warwick Medical School, UK.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Claybrook Centre, London, UK.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Crawford
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003134:Commitment of Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012944:Social Support